SAN JOSE — Under first-year coach Kyle Smith, Stanford men’s basketball team likes to shoot a lot of 3-pointers.
It’s aesthetically pleasing – not to mention effective – when they go in. When they don’t, though, it can be hard to watch.
Facing No. 10 Oregon at SAP Center Saturday night, Stanford was extremely inefficient from deep, making just 3 of 17 shots from beyond the arc in the first half. That brutal start doomed the Cardinal to a 17-point halftime deficit, and things didn’t get a whole lot better in the second half.
Though Stanford scored a lot more – and more efficiently – in the final half, the damage was already done. The Ducks more or less maintained their first-half advantage and cruised to a 76-61 win.
The Ducks, playing in SAP Center for the first time since the 2019 NCAA Tournament, when they won two games and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, looked much more comfortable despite having to travel significantly farther to play the game. Stanford, which only had to travel 20 miles down Interstate 280, left its shooting touch back home on The Farm.
The Cardinal shot a poor percentage overall – just 37% – and weren’t even up to par from the free-throw line, converting just 7 of 13 attempts.
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French center Maxime Raynaud was Stanford’s best player by far on Saturday night, leading the Cardinal in both points (20) and rebounds (13). They needed every bit of it to secure any offensive production at all.
The next-highest scoring Stanford player was Benny Gealer with 10 points. Kwame Evans Jr. led Oregon (11-1, 1-1 Big Ten) with 13 points, and nine Ducks scored at least five points.
Stanford (9-3, 1-0 ACC) will next travel to face No. 25 Clemson on Jan. 1, resuming Atlantic Coast Conference play after concluding its Christmas break. Oregon will take on Weber State on Dec. 29 in Eugene.